TRACK AND FIELD: Ex-NFL quarterback Cunningham has success with youth club in Nevada

Former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham has a budding star athlete in his daughter, Vashti Cunningham, who won the AAU Junior Olympics title in the high jump with a leap of 5-feet-11 at Rynearson Stadium. His son, Randall, is also a nationally-ranked high school high jumper who has done 7-feet-3 1/4.

YPSILANTI -- The heat in the Las Vegas desert can be unbearable at times, but that's the way the Nevada Gazelles track and field club likes it.

At least the team's coach does, if not the Gazelles, who nevertheless, follow the leader.

"We train in the heat, we try to make sure we're in tough conditions," said coach Randall Cunningham.

Yes, that's the Randall Cunningham, the former star NFL quarterback, who coaches club track and field, serves as an ordained minister and tries to develop youngsters along the way.

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Cunningham had a productive but sometimes turbulent 16-year NFL career, mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles but with stops in Dallas, Minnesota and Baltimore. He was a feared presence as a scrambler with speed and agility as well as a strong passing arm.

But with the NFL wars deep in his rearview mirror, he's settled into new endeavors.

Cunningham and the Gazelles made the trip to Ypsilanti to compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Eastern Michigan University's Rynearson Stadium, which ended Saturday.

He's the coach and leader of the club which includes his son, Randall, and daughter, Vashti. Both are nationally-ranked high jumpers.

On this occasion, Vashti, a tall, slender presence with a Randall Cunningham smile, sauntered over to dad with a fistful of dollars. "She pays me to coach her," smiled Cunningham, who stuffed the money in his wallet.

Vashti took first in the high jump in the girls 15-16 year old division with a leap of 5-feet-11, three inches better than second place. "She barely missed the national record," Cunningham said.

Randall Jr., who will be a senior at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas -- Vashti will be a sophomore -- placed third in the 17-18 year old age group with a leap of 7-feet. He has a best of 7-feet-3 1/4 this season.

"I get to coach him," Cunningham said of leading the Gazelles, "and my kids do listen, most of the time. Randall doesn't get to practice a lot because he's in football."

Indeed, Randall Jr. is a coveted quarterback destined to join an NCAA Division I program. But since he's among the best high school high jumpers in the nation, there's also a possibility of competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 2016 Games.

Naturally, dad is beaming about their accomplishments. "My daughter was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the high jump," he said. "She's only a freshman. I'm very proud of her. I'm proud of both of them."

Cunningham had always been a versatile athlete. He was a 6-foot-9 high jumper and dabbled in the multi-events, including shot put, discus and pole vault as a budding decathlete while growing up in Santa Barbara, Calif.

"I was (always) in it," said Cunningham of track and field. He passed on his interest in athletics to his children, not only for activity but to keep them occupied. "I want to make sure they're busy," he said. "We test them in different sports and find out what they're best at, kind of like the Russians."

Cunningham has coached the Gazelles about four years, starting with a handful of youngsters. That number has grown to nearly 40. "They all go to different high schools (and) all different nationalities," said Cunningham. "Basically, they've become Christians."

Indeed, Cunningham founded a church called Remnant Ministries nearly 10 years ago in Las Vegas. He's found his calling in the ministry, but coaching the Gazelles is also a calling.

To be sure, when it comes to track and field training for the Gazelles in the desert-like conditions of Nevada, the heat is surely on. And with Cunningham at the helm, providing guidance along the way, there's a sense to the sizzle.